MSc Operational Research with Computational Optimization

Compulsory courses cover the core skills of operational research, with most compulsory courses being studied in Semester 1. All courses are worth 10 credits, unless otherwise indicated.

Semester 1 compulsory courses have previously included:

• Fundamentals of Operational Research
• Fundamentals of Optimization
• Methodology, Modelling and Consulting Skills
• Stochastic Modelling 

Semester 2 compulsory courses have previously included:

• Simulation 

For your MSc to have a specialization in Computational Optimization, you must also study at least two of the following Semester 2 courses:

• Integer and Combinatorial Optimization
• Large Scale Optimization for Data Science
• Nonlinear Optimization
• Risk and Logistics
• Topics in Applied Operational Research 

You will have the opportunity to tailor your degree by selecting from a broad range of optional courses. All courses are worth 10 credits, unless otherwise indicated.

Semester 1 optional courses have previously included:

• Generalised Regression Models
• Introductory Probability and Statistics
• Numerical Linear Algebra
• Python Programming
• Statistical Methodology
• Statistical Programming 

Semester 2 optional courses have previously included:

• Algorithmic Game Theory and its Applications*
• Credit Scoring
• Incomplete Data Analysis
• Machine Learning in Python
• Operational Research in the Energy Industry
• Optimization Methods in Finance
• Optimization Under Uncertainty
• Time Series 

*delivered by the School of Informatics

The project gives you the opportunity to apply skills developed earlier to real operational research problems. Projects often take the form of a consultancy exercise for a sponsoring organisation. Projects usually involve modelling the problem and applying existing packages and/or developing a computer program for a new application of operational research. It is also possible to have an academic project without a direct link to an external organisation.

Academic projects are defined and supervised inside the department. External projects are defined by some external organisation, which may be an industrial or commercial company, a government body or research lab. There will be one supervisor in the University and one in the outside organisation. In an external organisation, you may work as part of a team on a project, but the work you do must be sufficiently self-contained that it can be written up into a coherent dissertation.

The purpose of the external placement is to enhance your experience through working on a practical project, and to allow you to apply and extend the knowledge and skills that you have already developed as part of your MSc programme. You will also develop your communication and other transferable skills, and interact with others on a more open-ended problem than you will have experienced in the taught part of the MSc.